Method and means for dispensing carbonated beverages



P. J. MAGUIRE.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR DISPENSING CARBONATED BEVERAGES.

APPLlCATION FILED JUNE 23- l9l9.

Patented May 9, 1922.

charts stares aras @FFHCE.

rs'rmcx J. MAeUm'E, or DETBOIT,-MICH1GAN.

ina'rnon Armrmans lnoamsrnnsnte cannonsrnn nnvnnaensl 1 '0 all whom itmay concern:

. Be it known that I, PATRICK. J. Mace-ma,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne,State of Michiful mprovement in Methods and Means for DispensingCarbonated Beverages; and declare the following to be a fulh'clear, and

exact descriptio rof the same,'su'ch as will enable others skilled inthe art towhich itpertains to make'and use the same, referencebeing hadto the accompanying-drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relatesv to" method and means for dispensing carbonatedbeverages,

and its objectis to provide a. method and -apparatus by means of whichbeverages havof time consumed in drawing the beverage.-

The principal feature ofithisinvention is involved in the method andmeans of first drawing the carbonated liquid from the sup ply tank intoa sealed, receptacle provided;

with an air chamber at the upper end'iiito which atmosphere of the'receptacle is,

fluid so that when forced by the 'inflowing h h d h e te 'qui t erethereceptacle is fill in is still under I practically an equal pressure tothat in the supply tank and, upon the opening of the valve for dischargeof the liquid, the pressure on the surface of liquid is released onlyartiallydue' to'the fact that the pressure w' be-maintained to a certainextentby leakage from the's'aid air chamber whereby the pressure is notentirely relieved instantaneously but on the contrary is releasedradually so that foaming is not produced. This general object andthe'several novel features of the construction-of an apparatus by meansof which the object may be attained are hereinafter more fully describedand claimed and the preferred form of apparatus is shown in theaccompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a vertical section of adispensing apparatus embodying my invention,

Specificationof Letters Patent.

gani have invented a certain new and use-V ner 'found convenient.

Patented May 9, 1922.

Application fiIedJuue 23, 1919. ScrialNa SDGJM.

- lea-perspective view of a valve 7 utilized in the discharge line.

Flg. 3 shows an alternative form of can struction of a receptacle intowhich the beverage isfirst drawnfrom the supply tank previous toits'being dispensed. Y

The supply tank and intermediate pressure releasing tank may bepositioned any convenient manner preferably hidden from view'forinstance by being laced back of a shield 01' wall member 1 so t at onlythe discharge faucet, indicated at 2, is exposed to public view. Suchdisposition of the-apparatuahowever is not essential as theseveralelements may be disposed in any man- 'lhe beverage tobe dispensedis the usual supply tank 3 under pressure and this tank is provided withthe usual dischar e valve 4 connected with a conduit 5 leading to thecoils 6 of a refrigerating unit by means of which the beverage iscooledprior to dispensing. In the refer-red form of construction, thepipe? leads from the cooling coils into a tubular memher 8- extendingthrough the artition 1, Thistubular member is provide atthe for ward endwith a valve 9 securedto the end ,of the casin 8. This valve member isprovided with tie usual tapered valve 10 maintained on its seat in theusual manneras by -a nut 11 on the threaded projecting stem at the smallend of'the valve. On the inner end of this casing S is supported ahermeti- -cally sealed receptacle 12, and a second conduit-13 leads fromthe valve seat to the interior of the receptacle 12 at the bottom asshown. A third conduit 14 leads from the valveseat into the receptacle12 terminatin close to the horizontal, partition 15 forms in thereceptacle dividing the same into a lower chamber-16 and an upperchamber17. The several pipes,-7; l3 and ltmay be arranged in any convenientmanner either by the formation of the channels in a single member or bymeans. of pipes here shown carried in the casing enclosing the same andthe connection of the conduits or pipes with the receptacle 12 and thevalve member are leak proof. i

As will be understood fromthe above description the valve seat has threeopenings on one side thereof with which the conduits 7, l3 and 14communicate respectively, the tubes preferably being arranged invertical alignment as shown; Diametriindicated at.,21 in Fig. 2. i115callyopposite the tube openings in the valve seat is a discharge opening18 and also a vent opening 19.

therewith preferably of a length practically equal to the depth oftheglass into which the beverage is to be dispensed so that the lass maybe held with the bottom close to ie'discharge end of the conduit 20. The

valve body .10 is provided with a groove- 21' extending nearly entirelyaround the v'alve,. the ends thereof bein spaced as c r 21 re' 'sterswith'the end of the con: uit 14 as W1 1 be understood from Fig.' land,

Whenin registration therewith, the upper end of the chamber 16 is ventedto atmos pherej throughthe vent 19. th'e valve so that the space 21registers with the end of the conduit 14 the said con-' duit is closedand the receptacle sealed.v

Directly. beneath the said portion 21- of the valve is a vertically elon'ated recess 22 formed in the valve body 0" a length and size toregister with the ends of both conduits 7 and 13 simultaneously, thesize of the recesses being slightly greater than the diameter of boththe conduits so that when in registration therewith, there is anunrestricted flow through the conduits into the chamber 16. It is to benoted that, when the recess 22 is turned to registration with theconduits 7 and 13, the portion 21 of the valve seals the end of theconduit 14. Therefore, upon so turning the valve to bring the recess 22into registration with the conduits as stated, fluid may flow from thesup ply tank under pressure into the chamber 16. With the chamber 16empty, the flow of fluid thereinto from the supplytanl:

5 ply tank and, therefore, the level of: the

quid will be about as indicated by the dotted lines 25 below the upperopen end of the conduit 14. \Vith the chamber 16 filled substantially asindicated and under pressure on the surface of the liquid and in thechamber 17, which is substantially equal to that of the supply tank,foaming of the liquid is prevented during the filling of the receptacle.

The valve member 10 also has an aperture The discharge, end; ofthe'valve may be of any approved character beiii here shown 'as havinga" depending tubi ar discharge conduit 20 connected 'ly turning" thechamber 17 to foam; v a

As before stated, several typesof valves are suitable for use in thepartition 15, an

thus turned-the groove21 is in registration with thedischarge'end of thetube 14f which vents the tube to atmosphere releasing the ressure at thesurface of the liquid in the c amber 16. Due to the action of the asunder pressure in the chamber- 17, the v7 vs 23 (lwhich may be of anyimprovedtype) ,is, c os'eid upon'release of pressure" in the chamber 16but, by reason of the small opening 2s, gas or air underjp'ressure mayflow in a restricted manner intothe -chamber .16. This does not-allow aninstantaneous ref leaseof the pressure on the. fluid and there i istherefore no greattendency for the fluid to ioamin thechamber 16 u onthe open ing ofthe valve 10. The fluid during discharge is under agradually decreasing pressure 'and b'y gravity flows through theconduit1'3 'into the discharge end of the faucet and asth'e liquid isdrawn the pres sur'eithereon is artially maintained from 5111s checkingthe tendency alternativeform of which is shown in Fig. 3. This simplyconsists'of arubber tube 30 open to the chamber 16 and extendin into thechamber 17 and is therein provider? with a slit 31 inone side thereofwhich opens upon the pressure-from the interior produced by a flow ofliquid'into-the chamber 16 and is c ose'd by pressure on the exterior inthe chamber 17. f The dividing wall 15 in this case is likewise providedwith the small leak aperture 32 corresponding to that shown in Figll.,In any case the valve member-in the partition-wall is such as to allowa free flow of air or gasinto the chamber 17 and prevent flow of airtherethrough from the chamber 17 or be closed by pressure in the chamber17 when in excessfof that in the chamber 16. f From the foregoingdescription it becomes evident that, by the arran'ge'mentof an intermediate double chambered receptacle into which the fluid from thesupply tank is first discharged under pressure and the provision of aleakage from the upper into the lower chamber upon discharge of the liuid, that sive force due to the pressure and, although t t e some slightfoamin may take place a surface of the liquic the discharging of theliquid from the bottomof the receptacle avoids the drawing'of the foam.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim is l. The method of dispensing carbonated beverages whichconsists in first discharging the beverage from a supply-tank into asealed receptacle under pressure equal to that of the supply tank,ithesealed receptacle having an upper and a lower chamber and a passagewaypermitting a restricted flow of gas from the upper to the lower chamber,

suddenly relieving the pressure on the lower a chamber, and thendischarging the liquid while. under reduced pressure caused by therestricted flow of the gas from the upper chamber.

v 2.- In apparatus for dispensing carbonated beverages, a supply tanl;in WlllCh liquid is stored under pressure, a receptacle normally sealedto atmosphere and having an upper and lower chamber and a passagewatherebetween permitting a comparativey free flow of gas from the lowerto the upper chamber and a passageway ermitting a restricted flow in theop osite 'rection, means for discharging the Enid from the bottom of thelower chamber and momentarily releasing the pressure on the surface ofthe liquid therein. y

3. 1n apparatus for dispensing liquid under pressure, a supply tank inwhich the liquid is maintained under pressure, a re ceptacle normallyclosed to atmosphere, the

surface of the liquid receptacle having an upper and lower chamber and apassageway permitting a restricted flow of gas therebetween, apassageway permittin 'free flow of gas only fromthe lower to t e upperchamber, the flow of liqliquids under pressure, the combination with asupply-tank for maintainin the liquid under pressure, of a receptaclenormally closed to atmosphere having an upper and a lower chamber, therebeing a passageway permitting a restricted flow of gas from one chamberinto the other and the flow of liquid into the receptacle, pocketing aas in the upper chamber under pressure substantially equal to that inthe supply tank, a valve inthe'wall between the chambers opening bypressure in the lower chamber and closing by'pressure in the upperchamber when in excess of that in the lower chamber, a valve fordischarging the liquid from the bottom of the lower chamber, meanscontrolled by the valve opening the upper end of the lower chamber toatmosphere upon opening of the valve to discharge the liquid.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

